However, caution must be taken with some greener products, as some can't be used with most condoms because they may cause breakage. And before making any decisions around contraception, it is advised that you speak to a doctor or family planning professional.
Sex toys are another area where the use of plastic is widespread. Steel or glass alternatives are available, while the option of buying rechargeable toys also helps reduce waste. There are even solar powered sex toys on the market.
Companies such as LoveHoney also offer a sex toy amnesty where they assist in recycling old and broken toys that cannot go through typical recycling routes.
Where else can waste be reduced?
Then there are less obvious parts of our sex lives where changes can be made to reduce waste.
Purchasing ethically made lingerie and clothing, avoiding shower sex, using less hot water, keeping the lights switched off and opting for reusable washcloths are all ways to reduce our impact on the planet.
Like most things we buy, packaging often leads to waste. Lauren Singer, an entrepreneur and zero-waste influencer from New York, says this is where most companies can make a difference.
Condoms, lube and daily contraceptive pills are all products that can generate packaging that ends up in landfills. IUDs (intrauterine devices) and implants are longer-term contraceptive options, which have less waste but come with their own risks.
Lauren lives almost entirely waste-free and, since 2012, has collected anything she hasn't been able to recycle in a jar.

Lauren Singer has been collecting all her non-recyclable waste in a jar since 2012
You won't find condoms in Lauren's jar and, as they are the only contraception effective against STIs, she asks all her sexual partners to get tested before sleeping with them.
"I've got a monogamous partner now, but if you don't feel comfortable asking a partner to get tested before going to bed with them, then you probably shouldn't be sleeping with them at all," Lauren says.
However, she says there is nothing more unsustainable than an unwanted pregnancy or a sexually transmitted disease.
"We have to consider what waste is worth producing and what isn't," she says. "People shouldn't not use condoms or not take birth control because of the waste aspect - it's more important to protect you and your partner."
Dr Akinsemolu agrees. "Safe sex, whether using eco-friendly products or not, is the most sustainable for people and the planet in the long run," she says.
The climate impact of reproducing
Which brings us to another point where sex and the environment collide - having children.
According to a 2017 study, living car-free saves about 2.3 tonnes of CO2 a year, while sticking to a plant-based diet saves 0.8 tonnes. By comparison - if you live in the developed world - not having a child saves about 58.6 tonnes per year.
The carbon footprint in less developed countries is much lower, with a child in Malawi estimated to be no more than 0.1 tonnes.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaking at the C40 summit in Copenhagen in 2019
Some influential figures have discussed their reservations about having children. Prince Harry told Vogue in 2019 that he and the Duchess of Sussex would have "a maximum" of two children, citing the environment as a key factor in this decision.
Similarly, US congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told the C40 World Mayors' Summit in 2019 that she was "a woman whose dreams of motherhood now taste bittersweet because of what I know about our children's future".
Birth rates have been on the decline in many countries across the world. The decades-long trend certainly cannot be chalked up to climate change alone.
But a global poll by British scientists this year found three-quarters of the 10,000 young people surveyed agreed "the future was frightening". Some 41% of respondents were "hesitant to have children" citing climate change as a reason.
Tanmay Shinde lives in Mumbai, in India, and has decided he won't have children for the sake of the environment. The IPCC has predicted his hometown may be submerged by rising sea levels as soon as 2050.
His family has found his decision difficult to understand, although he admits as a man he may have more privileges than a woman in India around this belief.
"Families in India are very traditional and have a culture of following the age-old customs and rituals," he says. "Having children is one of the most important things in life after marriage and there are so many societal pressures to carry on this culture."

Tanmay Shinde is unlikely to change his mind about having children - unless world leaders make big changes
Will he ever change his mind? "A safer planet and sustainable lifestyle are prerequisites for having children so, unless there are strong decisions made and massive changes to reduce carbon emissions and stop global warming, I don't think I'm going to have children."
Professor Kimberly Nicholas, an associate professor at Lund University, in Sweden, co-authored a study that said children in the developed world have an enormous negative impact on carbon emissions.
She does not, however, argue that people should not have children. "It's not my role to endorse or question people's personal choices," she says. "It's a human right to decide freely if they want to have a child. What I'm working for is a world where children who are already alive have a safe planet and society."
Instead she suggests people spend more time reconsidering their travel habits "rather than agonising over wrappings and eliminating every last piece of waste from contraception".
"We should focus our efforts on where it makes a difference," she says.

Professor Kimberly Nicholas' research focuses on high impact waste reduction like air travel and plant-based diets
As someone who has spent a third of her life living waste-free, Lauren is undecided on the question of children.
"I've thought about adopting, which I think is something that would be great, but then the actual physical process of having a child - I'm not sure," she says.
Like other decisions about sustainability, she's asking herself whether having a child could be "net positive".
"Will there be a benefit to the planet overall? Can I impart value on this child who will live longer than me and carry on trying to create a better world?"
Source: BBC News